The end seems to be in sight for the protracted NMA Nigeria strike. Following the uproar that greeted the pronouncement of Suspension of residency training in federal government hospitals and the issuance of sack letters to resident doctors by the FG, some eminent Nigerians have intervened. The most fruitful and successful negotiation with NMA so far was the negotiation of NMA NOC with Senate President, David Mark. However, there have been conflicting comments from both the SGF and Health Minister which gives the indication that the Government has decided to allow the strike to continue because even the agreements reached with doctors could not be implemented until the report of Yayale Ahmed committee is submitted to them. But the truth remains that, it is only the number one citizen that has the final say on this matter. Join Kind Ben And Friends Organization to push for #endNMANigeriastrikenow#

While JOHESU is saying that the creation of the office of Surgeon General of the federation will increase personnel cost, which in my own view is myopic, NMA is saying that, creation of the office of SGOF will discourage overseas medical tourism and possibly money laundering. This is because public office holders who make use of tax payers money to fund such overseas trip will have to get clearance from the SGOF who determines if a medical condition requires overseas treatment or not. How does this translate to doctors asking for more money? One can now see why the doctors are being 'beefed' in this manner.

When SLS was suspended, the presidency pronounced that the action was to pave way for unbiased investigation into the allegation of financial recklessness leveled against the former CBN Governor, and that SLS was bound to return if he was exonerated from the allegation. Meanwhile a successor was named immediately after the suspension. What a contradiction.
Similar pronouncement had been made by the minister of health who said that the suspension of residency training was for proper appraisal of the problems of the program and that the program will be reintroduced in the future, meanwhile he had ordered the sack of all the doctors in the program, and had given permission to CEOs to recruit new doctors, what a contradiction again.

Doctors are not heartless, they understand what the poor masses are going through because doctors did not fall from heaven. They have relatives too who from time to time May have need for medical treatment. The essence of the ongoing strike is to pressurize government to do something urgently to salvage our fastly deteriorating health indices by restructuring our health care services in line with international best practices.